Meat & Rice Stuffed Leeks

These stuffed leeks are filled with a hearty spiced ground meat and rice mixture then gently roasted until caramelized and tender. This recipe makes 6-8 appetizer sized servings or about 3 main course sized servings.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Ground Meat, Leeks, Rice

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 40

Servings

Calories 239kcal

Ingredients

2 leeks white part only

filling ingredients

225 grams ground beef
0.25 cup short grain rice
0.5 cup yellow onion finely diced
4 cloves garlic minced or mashed
4 tablespoons fresh parsley finely diced
2 teaspoons summer savory or dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

extras

0.5 cup water
0.25 cup vegetable oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 185 C / 365 F.
Cut the green tops off the leeks but try to keep them as long as possible.
Use a knife to make a shallow cut in the sheath enough to be able to peel one leaf off. Repeat until the end then thoroughly wash each leaf.
Heat a large pot of water on the stovetop. Blanche the leeks in batches for 20-30 seconds each until they soften. Set aside in a bowl.
Mix the filling ingredients together.
Spread half the oil in the bottom of your skillet or roasting pan.
Lay out the leek leaves - the larger ones should be big enough to stuff but you can line up a few of the smaller ones together (slightly overlapping).
Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling onto each leek as shown in the photos (imagine the bottom of the leek as a square made up of two triangles - then fill the top triangle of that square with filling).
Gently wrap the leek around the stuffing - don't worry if it isn't perfectly sealed. Lay each stuffed leek in the roasting pan.
After all the leeks are in the roasting pan, drizzle with the rest of the oil and the water.
Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, remove the lid/cover and continue roasting another 30 minutes or until the water is reduced and the leeks are golden and soft.

Nutrition